The Top-100 Crime Novels of All Time

1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 | 41-50 | 51-60 | 61-70 | 71-80 | 81-90 | 91-100

William Goldman (2001) Marathon Man.

An epic, fast-paced thriller with just enough humor to prevent you from getting overwhelmed by the violence, evil and sadism. Made into a movie with Dustin Hoffman.

John Grisham (1996) The Rainmaker.

The Rainmaker is about a rooky lawyer named Rudy Baylor who just graduated from law school. Not as fast as "The Firm", but much funnier. Grisham's cynical portrayal of big firm lawyers is an excellent look into the real world of law. Also an excellent film by Francis Ford Coppola.

Davis Grubb (2008) Night of the Hunter (First published in 1953).

A psychopath, masquerading as a preacher, begins a ruthless quest for ill-gotten loot, the whereabouts of which are known only by the son of a dead thief and his younger sister. This superb, suspenseful novel formed the basis of the only film ever directed by Charles Laughton, a cult classic starring Robert Mitchum.

P. D. James (2001) Death of an Expert Witness.

This Adam Dalgliesh mystery is set in rural England, where forensic specialist Dr. Lorrimer is found murdered in his police laboratory. The unpleasant man had many enemies among his subordinates. In this classical murder novel P.D. James combines vivid characters with an intelligent plot.

P. D. James (1998) A Taste of Death. (First published in 1986)

In this exquisitely crafted story two bodies are discovered with their throats slashed in a London church. Commander Dalgliesh is tracking down the leads. In her Adam Dalgliesh detective novels, P. D. James subtly develops complex characters that seem to have a true life of their own.

Watchers. (2003) Dean Koontz

Genetic manipulation has created two extraordinary animals: one is a dog, named Einstein, the other is a murderous hybrid called "The Outsider." They are hunted down by the government and a professional killer. The plot developments occasionally seem a bit forced.

Robert Ludlum (1984) The Chancellor Manuscript

This is one of Ludlum's earlier works. As the New York Times Book Review said, it "exerts a riveting appeal, as it seems to justify our worst nightmares of what really goes on in the so-called intelligence community in Washington."

Henning Mankell (2003) Faceless Killers.

Shivering in the cold Swedish winter, Kurt Wallander tries to solve a savage double murder on a remote farm. In this novel, Mankell probes the underside of the liberal Swedish society with its ugly streak of anti-foreigner prejudice and hate.

Charles McCarry (2005) The Miernik Dossier. (First published in 1973)

McCarry, who worked for the CIA before his literary career is probably the best American spy novelist - in the same league as John LeCarre.

Cormac McCarthy (2005) No Country for Old Men.

Mixture of action thriller, Western and psychological drama. Starting with an antelope hunt near the Rio Grande the story proceeds into a man-on-the-run thriller, populated by a psychopatic killer and an elderly Sheriff, who is smarter than most, because he knows his limitations. Made into movie by the Coen brothers!

In cooperation with Amazon.com

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